Dance Show Turns Into Hrithik's 'Gym'

It was time for Hrithik Roshan's fitness classes on the reality show Just Dance, where he found an enthusiastic student in the Band Baaja Baraat star Ranveer Singh.

And Bitto promised to follow his instructions to the tee.

For those of you who wonder what Hrithik's body building classes are like, here it is: First Hrithik began with some push-ups, saying, "I will do it with you".

Then, Duggu gave Bitto tips for some nicely pumped biceps and the six-pack abs. After all, one has to be a part of the ab club in Bollywood if one aspires to make it big.

When the body-building routine was over, there was some dance. So, the dance reality show appeared full of bromance.

Posted in: Breaking News

Kkr Beat Auckland By 2 Runs In Thrilling Clt20 Qualifier Match

Kolkata Knight Riders produced a disciplined bowling display as they beat Auckland Aces by two runs in a thrilling low-scoring Champions League Twenty20 qualifiers match in Hyderabad on Monday.

Electing to bat, KKR scored a modest 121 for six after they suffered a batting collapse but their bowlers produced a superb show to restrict Auckland to 119 for six in a match that went down the wire after many twist and turns.

Auckland lost their first wicket in the first ball of their run chase, recovered at 60 for one and then slumped to 61 for four in the 10th over. They were still in for an upset victory but with pressure piling they eventually fell short by two runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Auckland needed 11 runs from the last over bowled by Brett Lee but they could score just eight runs.

KKR used as many as seven bowlers and all of them did well, either taking wickets or bowling economically. Yusuf Pathan was the picked of the KKR bowlers with figures of 2/21 -- the two wickets coming in the space of three balls.

Rajat Bhatia and captain Jacques Kallis chipped in with a wicket each.

KKR fielding also rose to the occasion with two crucial run outs.

Auckland run chase began on a disastrous note with Martin Guptill run out in the very first ball of the innings bowled by Iqbal Abdulla.

Adams played towards midwicket and Guptill wanted a single but Ryan ten Doeschate's throw was quick enough for wicketkeeper Manvinder Bisla to removed the bails.

Posted in: Breaking News

Ruhuna Vs T&T: Ganga's Late Assault Helps T&T Win

Sherwin Ganga shone with a late blitzkrieg as Trinidad and Tobago defeated debutants Ruhunu Eleven by five wickets in a low-scoring inaugural Champions League Twenty20 qualifier clash here on Monday. Score

Ganga (39 not out) smashed two sixes and a four as T & T collected 21 runs from the penultimate over and chased down the target of 139 with seven balls to spare after their top-order batsmen, except for Darren Bravo, failed to contribute substantially.

Bravo contributed a 49-ball 44 not out and shared 53 runs in just 26 balls for the unfinished sixth wicket stand to see Trinidad opened their campaign on a winning note at the Rajiv Gandhi International cricket stadium.

Trinidad struggled in their run chase initially with three key wickets falling inside the first six overs before Bravo and Ganga took over.

While Bravo played cautiously, his partner Ganga had other ideas in mind as he clobbered Ruhunu bowlers all over the park. His 15-ball unbeaten 39 had four fours and two sixes.

Requiring 19 off last two overs, Ganga hoisted spinner Arosh Janoda for two sixes and a four to settle the issue in his team's favour.

After the early loss of Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath and Daren Ganga, Bravo and Denesh Ramdin (18) added 28 runs for the fourth wicket to put their side back on track. Bravo then added another crucial 25 runs for the fifth wicket with Jason Mohammad (17) to give the perfect platform for Ganga's final flourish.

For Ruhunu, Janaka Gunaratne grabbed two wickets while Sanath Jayasuriya, Janoda and Perera took one wicket each.

Earlier, electing to bat, Dinesh Chandimal rescued Ruhunu from a precarious situation to help his team post a modest 138 all out with a patient 50.

Ruhunu were done in by five run outs as lack of discretion on their part towards the end undid Chandimal's good work. Chandimal revived the team after a top-order collapse which saw them tottering at 26 for three at one stage.

Chandimal struck two fours and equal number of sixes in his 48-ball stay, and was ably supported by Janaka Gunaratne (20) as the duo put on 67 for the fourth wicket.

But the Sri Lankan domestic side's lack of international experience came to fore as five of their batsmen ran themselves out. From 132 for six, they slumped to 138 all out.

Ruhunu captain Mahela Udawatte's decision to bat after winning the toss on a green-top backfired as they lost three wickets, including Jayasuriya, inside the fourth over.

While Jayasuriya was trapped by Badree, Udawatte ran himself out as Adrian Barath's quick throw found him well short of the crease.

Their miseries were further compounded when Milinda Siriwardana (1) took off for a non-existent single, resulting in another run-out.

Chandimal and Gunaratne then played cautiously while keeping the scoreboard tickling with occasional boundaries.

However, as they were settling into a nice position, Gunaratne was bowled by Kevon Cooper, and Chandimal was caught by Rampaul off his own bowling.

After the fall of both the batsmen, Ruhunu's lower-order failed to put up any resistance.

For Trinidad, Rampaul was the most successful bowler picking up two wickets for 17 runs.

Posted in: Breaking News

Gambhir Says That Playing For India Will Always Remain On Top Of Agenda

Ever since Gautam Gambhir took the field for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League with a shoulder injury, there has been a raging debate about whether the current crop of Indian cricketers value playing for their franchise more than their country.

However, for Gambhir himself, the club versus country debate means nothing and answering the critics is not his concern.

"I don't want to answer anyone. It is all about being clear to your own conscience. The passion of playing for the country and the joy of representing every Indian across the world can never be replicated. Wearing the blue jerseys means a lot," he told MAIL TODAY on the sidelines of the India Today Youth Summit.

Referring to his decision to make himself unavailable for the Champions League T20 qualifiers, Gambhir said: "It was purely a medical call taken by my doctor. If he had given me the green signal to play, I would have been out their leading KKR."

"All the talk about players being ready to fulfil club commitments doesn't hold true in this case as I will not get any extra money for playing in the Champions League.

"Not for once did it occur to me that I should skip the Champions League to please the critics. My doctor feels that I am still not ready to play a match. If we qualify for the main stages and I am allowed to play by my doctor, I will definitely take the field."

Gambhir feels that player management is a must in the modern scenario where teams are playing round the year. "As players we want to play as much as possible when we are doing well, but it is important that players who play in all the three formats are preserved well so that they can play longer and are fresh physically as well as mentally.

"In the modern game, mental fatigue also needs to be avoided. It is important that every country has a pool of 25 players who are talented enough to play at the international level," he said.

No Indian fan can forget Gambhir's knock of 97 in the final of the World Cup - a pressure cooker situation.

Re-living the experience, Gambhir said: "It is every cricketer's dream to win the biggest prize in the 50-over format of the game. I still believe I should have been a part of the squad in the 2007 World Cup.

"But after the disappointment of not getting picked for the World Cup, came the high of winning the 2007 World T20. So that brought about a belief that everything is destined. "After the first few matches of the 2011 edition, came an article by Ian Chappell that I should be dropped and that egged me on and the rest is history."

After the purple patch under ex-coach Gary Kirsten, the drubbing against England under new coach Duncan Fletcher has come as a rude shock for fans.

"Every captain and coach is as good as the team. Gary was a very hardworking person and he made us believe in ourselves. He reaped the rewards of the efforts he had put in with the team and deserved every bit of the success.

"And after three years, you would obviously miss the person. But life goes on and we must respect his decision to quit and spend time with his family.

"As far as the comparison is concerned, it is too early to judge Fletcher and we need to give him time to adapt," said Gambhir.

Posted in: Breaking News

I Won't Dump The Team, Says Srinivasan

For the second time in a little over a month, the Indian cricket board refused to discuss the abysmal performance of the national team on its just-concluded winless tour of England, with new president N Srinivasan reposing full faith in the players.

Officials who attended the 82nd BCCI annual general body meeting said that no one uttered a word on the team that failed to register a single win.

"Not at all. No one said anything on India's performance during the two-hour meeting," one of them said on condition of anonymity.

Even on August 15, by which time India had lost three of the four Tests, all the officials who attended a working committee meeting maintained a deafening silence.

"They were the toast of India till two months ago, after they won the 50-over World Cup in April. You win some, you lose some. A number of factors led to the defeats, like injuries to some players and bad luck (rains and error-prone technology)," Srinivasan told Mail Today.

"I am not going to dump the team just after one bad series." Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team failed to win a single Test, One-Day International or the lone Twenty20 International.

A spate of injuries, fatigue, and rain were the main factors that led to the 0-4 whitewash in the Test series, the 0-3 defeat in the ODI series as well as the T20 International. Earlier in the day, addressing his first press conference as BCCI president, Srinivasan told reporters: "We didn't have our best team from the beginning. We have faith in the team. There's no reason why we can't get back there (No. 1 spot). We have not formed any committee (for a post-mortem)."

Srinivasan, however, said that the BCCI would complain to the ICC about Hot Spot technology.

"We were extremely reluctant to implement the DRS (umpires' Decision Review System) and had no belief in the ball tracking system. The BCCI is not averse to technology and agreed to a minimum usage of DRS, including HotSpot, at the last ICC meeting in Hong Kong," he said.

"We were under the impression that HotSpot was very good. It's not necessary for me to dwell on the accuracy of HotSpot; it was there for everybody to see."

Rahul Dravid was once given out caught after the review, even though HotSpot showed the ball hadn't touched his bat. There were other instances when Indians, including VVS Laxman, were at the receiving end of the errorprone technology.

"The BCCI will raise this issue at the next ICC meeting. We want to revisit it as we feel HotSpot is insufficient technology and, therefore, we would request that it be revised," said Srinivasan, who will now sit on the ICC executive board that takes the final call on all decisions.

"At the last meeting, Mr (Shashank) Manohar had opposed the DRS before laying down office and at the next meeting I will do it." A new set of office bearers formally took over at the AGM that was reduced from a two-day affair to one after the 14-point agenda was gone through quickly.

Mohinder Amarnath replaced Yashpal Sharma as the north zone representative for the lone change on the senior selection panel. The junior panel remained unchanged. Gargi Banerjee will replace Vrinda Bhagat as head of the five-member women's selection panel, which saw two changes.

On the Indian team boycotting the ICC annual awards function in London recently, Srinivasan clarified that both Manohar and he got the ICC invitations, but not the team. "Neither of us could go as we were busy. But no specific invitation had gone to the team. Later on, an ICC team went to Lord's to invite the players on September 11, but by then, the players had made their plans (for the day)," he said.

Asked about the resumption of bilateral cricket ties between India and Pakistan, Srinivasan said as of now there was nothing on the table. A top Pakistan board official said in Lahore on Monday that they were eager to meet BCCI officials in this regard.

Posted in: Breaking News

Tendulkar Writes To Lorgat For Changing Odi Format

The ODIs are perceived to be on the decline and it's none other than Sachin Tendulkar who has now come out publicly in support of revamping the current 50-over format having written a letter to ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat.

Tendulkar, the world's highest run-getter in both Tests and ODIs and someone who is on the threshold of his 100th international century, wants ICC to make "a radical switch" from 50-50 to four 25-over innings.

Apart from reducing the number of overs per innings, Tendulkar has also proposed several more changes for the ODIs.

The Indian batting icon had spoken about this new concept in television interviews in the past but had never written a letter to ICC in this regard.

"I have been capturing my thoughts on what I think would be the way forward to ensure that all three formats in the game co-exist and ensure value creation," he wrote in the letter seen by 'The Times'.

He argued that four alternate innings of 25 overs for each side in an international would be the fairest way of balancing the advantages gained by the team that won the toss when pitch and weather conditions mean that a match can virtually be decided by the spin of a coin.

Tendulkar's letter also proposed changes in voluntary Powerplays.

In each 25-over block, Tendulkar wants only two Powerplays at the behest of the batting side but suggested that up to four bowlers should be allowed up to 12 overs each, rather than the present limit of 10.

One of the prominent matches featuring India seemed to have been lost after spin of coin was 1996 Wills World Cup semi-final when Lankans batted first on a square turner.

Tendulkar also cited two games in the most recent World Cup when evening dew helped England to achieve a tie in their classic qualifying game against India in Bangalore but then counted in favour of Ireland during their famous run chase against England at the same venue.

A split into two equal innings a side was often proposed for the final of the domestic county competition in the UK - originally the Gillette Cup - in the days when it was invariably an advantage to field first, the report said.

The hover cover, instant outfield drainage and sophisticated drying equipment have ensured that matches at Lord's almost always start on a dry pitch these days, but that is not the case everywhere.

In Australia last winter, the inter-state one-day tournament, the Ryobi Cup, was played over 45-overs-a-side, split into two alternate innings of 20 overs followed by two of 25.

The format was generally rated a success by Cricket Australia (CA). There were more close finishes, more runs, more wickets and larger TV audiences.

Significantly, the new regulations appeared to overcome the relatively dull and predictable middle-over phases of 50-over games.

Posted in: Breaking News

Quake Toll Rises To 68 In India, Relief Team Reaches Epicentre In Sikkim

At least 68 people have died in the earthquake that struck large parts of north and east India, Home Secretary R.K. Singh said on Tuesday and warned that the toll is expected to go up as rescue operations continue.

"According to the Sikkim government, the toll in the state is 50. Number of deaths in West Bengal is 12 while six people have died in Bihar," he told reporters in New Delhi, two days after the earthquake.

He said two rescue teams from the army had "air dropped" in Sikkim and a team of 10 doctors from Delhi had reached the spot.

"The toll may increase further as rescue teams reach the interiors," the home secretary said.

The army soldiers on Tuesday cleared the road leading to Sikkim's Mangan area, where the epicentre of Sunday's 6.8 magnitude earthquake was located around 10 km under the earth's crust.

Headlines Today was the first news channel to reach Mangan after the catastrophe. The earthquake has left massive destruction all over.

On Tuesday, Mangan -- along the Indo-Nepalese border -- bore testimony to the immense damage to life and property. The devastation was most severe at this place.

Around 200 troopers, including medical teams, reached the area for rescue and relief operations. Quick reaction teams were also rushed to the area through aerial route.

72 killed in Sikkim
The death toll in Sikkim alone stood at 72, with the northern part of the state recording maximum casualties. The 6.8 magnitude quake has left behind badly damaged roads and buildings and disrupted communication lines.

A series of aftershocks rattled survivors and spread panic. Medical teams reached the epicentre, Mangan, using choppers on Tuesday.
Rescue operations remained the biggest challenge as rain and landslides were severely hampering the efforts. Bad weather was not allowing helicopters to land in the affected areas and the Indian Air Force (IAF) planes were unable to air-drop food packets.

The Board Road Organisation (BRO) engineers, meanwhile, managed to open National Highway 31A on Monday, while the highway from Darjeeling to Nathu La was expected to be cleared on Tuesday.

Over 5,000 army soldiers and 700 from Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel have been engaged in rescue and relief operation with the help of nine helicopters.

The army and the ITBP were also operating relief camps to house the survivors.

The Centre and the state government have announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh respectively for the next of kin of those killed in the quake.

Nine killed in Bengal
West Bengal has also been reeling under the impact of Sunday's quake. Official reports said nine people were killed in the northern parts of the state.
Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and North Dinajpur were the worst affected districts. Heavy rains stood in the way of rescue operations in these districts.

Such was the impact of the quake in Jalpaiguri that a residential building tilted and has since been leaning against the adjoining building.

In neighbouring Mynaguri, deep cracks have appeared on National Highway 31 connecting Siliguri to Guwahati. Parts of the road have also caved in.

Other affected areas
Northern parts of Bihar also saw some devastating effects of the quake. At least six people were killed in the state.
The earthquake had also claimed lives of at least seven people each in neighbouring Himalayan nation Nepal and China's autonomous Tibet province.

Posted in: Breaking News

Marsh Rescues Australia In Final Test

COLOMBO: Shaun Marsh hit a gutsy 81 to steer Australia out of trouble at the start of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday.

Scorecard

Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan's decision to send Australia in to bat on a moisture-laden wicket paid off as the tourists slumped to 22/2 in the ninth over.

Marsh, who made 141 on debut in the previous Test in Pallekele, led the revival to help Australia reach 235/5 by stumps on the opening day at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

The left-hander put on 79 for the third wicket with Ricky Ponting (48) and 70 for the fifth with Mike Hussey (63 not out) to upstage a superb debut by Sri Lankan seamer Shaminda Eranga.

Eranga grabbed a wicket with his first delivery in Test cricket - just as Australian spinner Nathan Lyon had done in the opening Test of the series - and ended the day with 2-52.

The 28-year-old Marsh missed his second consecutive century when he was bowled by left-arm spinner Rangana Herath in the final session of play.

Brad Haddin returned unbeaten on 21, having put on 45 runs so far for the sixth wicket with the ever-reliable Hussey.

Eranga, 25, one of the three changes in the Sri Lankan side, struck as soon as he replaced Chanaka Welegedara for the eighth over of the innings.

Shane Watson, who made eight, chased a ball outside the off-stump and drove straight into the safe hands of Dilshan at point.

Watson's unexpected dismissal came after his opening partner, Phil Hughes, had fallen for a second-ball duck, bowled off the inside edge by Suranga Lakmal.

Ponting, returning to the side after missing the second Test due to the birth of his second child, survived two confident appeals for catches behind the stump before he had reached double figures.

Television replays confirmed there were no edges off the bat and Ponting grew in confidence to help Marsh take the score to 63/2 by lunch.

Ponting fell in the afternoon session when he attempted to drive a wide ball from Lakmal and only managed to edge an easy catch to wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene.

The 36-year-old, the third highest run-getter in Test cricket behind the Indian duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, has now gone 22 innings without a Test century.

Ponting's last three-figure knock was the 209 against Pakistan at Hobart in January last year.

Michael Clarke, Ponting's successor as captain, also continued his poor run when he was caught behind off Eranga after making six.

Clarke has not hit a Test century since his 168 against New Zealand in Wellington in March last year.

Australia made two changes from the last game, dropping injured fast bowler Ryan Harris and middle-order batsman Usman Khawaja to play Ponting and seamer Peter Siddle.

Sri Lanka, looking for a series-levelling win in Kumar Sangakkara's 100th Test appearance, axed senior batsman Thilan Samaraweera and spinners Suraj Randiv and Seekkuge Prasanna.

They were replaced by batsman Lahiru Thirumanne, Eranga and Herath.

Australia won the first Test in Galle by 125 runs.

Posted in: Breaking News

Saina Nehwal Crashes Out Of China Masters

NEW DELHI: India's star badminton player Saina Nehwal proved no match to top seed Yihan Wang of China and crashed out of the women's singles quarterfinals of the China Masters Super Series badminton 8-21, 12-21 in Changzhou on Friday.

Saina, who played a marathon match against Japan's Ayane Kurihara on Thursday, bowed out in mere 33 minutes against Wang.

Wang next plays compatriot Yanjiao Jiang.

Posted in: Breaking News

Libyan Fighters Move On Gaddafi Area

Libya: Libyan revolutionary forces faced fierce resistance as they streamed into one of the remaining bastions of support for Moammar Gaddafi on Friday, while the Turkish prime minister met with the country's new rulers in the capital Tripoli.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit came a day after the French and British leaders traveled to Libya as the international community rallies around the interim government's efforts to establish legitimacy and start rebuilding the country despite continued fighting against loyalists of Gaddafi, who remains on the run.

Libyan fighters in dozens of pickup trucks mounted with heavy weapons made their way from the north into the center of town of Bani Walid, 90 miles (140 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli. Explosions and gunfire resounded across the area and smoke billowed into the sky as fierce clashes broke out.

One of the fighters, Hisham Nseir, said the frontline is "very heated and chaotic" and his troops were meeting with heavy resistance from Gahdafi's men.

Libyan fighters also have converged on Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte to the north of Bani Walid.

NATO airstrikes continued to pound pro-Gaddafi targets. The alliance said it struck multiple rocket launchers, air missile systems, armored vehicles and a military storage facility in Sirte on Thursday. NATO has conducted over 8,500 strikes on Libya since late March.

As revolutionary forces battle pro-Gaddafi holdouts centered in Bani Walid, Sirte and the city of Sabha, deep in the southern desert, Libya's interim leadership has been pushing forward with efforts to form a new government.

Erdogan was greeted at the airport by Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the head of the National Transitional Council, the closest thing Libya has to a government. He traveled to Libya as part of a tour of the Arab world, including Egypt and Tunisia, that is aimed at offering help for the countries and advancing his growing status as a regional leader.

He was expected to discuss how to resume investments in Libya, where Turkish contractors were involved in 214 building projects worth more than $15 billion before the rebellion that ousted Gaddafi.

Erdogan's tour comes as once-strong ties between Turkey and Israel are unraveling due to Israel's refusal to apologize for its raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla that killed nine pro-Palestinian activists last year.

The flotilla incident and Turkey's desire to broaden its influence in the Middle East and the Arab world could dramatically affect the power dynamics in the region since the revolutions now known as the Arab Spring.

Turkish companies have been involved in lucrative construction projects worth billions of dollars, building hospitals, shopping malls and five-star hotels in Libya before the uprising began in mid-February.

The bilateral trade with Libya was $2.4 billion in favor of Turkey before the chaos and the two countries had waived travel visas to boost that trade.

The United States and more than 30 other nations formally recognized Libya's main opposition group as the country's legitimate government in a July meeting in Istanbul, giving the rebel movement a major boost. The move came after Turkey escalated its pressure on Moammar Gaddafi despite its long-standing ties to the Libyan leader.

Erdogan has said: Gaddafi has ignored calls for change in Libya and instead preferred "blood, tears and pressure against his own people."

Turkey has recently reopened its embassy in Tripoli which was shut down due to deteriorating security. The Turkish consulate in the rebel-controlled city of Benghazi remained open throughout the conflict.

Turkey initially balked at the idea of military action in Libya, but as a NATO member it is helping to enforce an arms embargo on Libya and volunteered to lead humanitarian aid efforts.

Erdogan also was expected to appear on the Martyrs' Square, which was renamed from the Gaddafi-era Green Square, in Tripoli and to travel to the cities of Misrata and Benghazi.

Posted in: Breaking News